Since we are a document scanning company, we bet you can guess which way this article might lean. When you have a scanning project, it’s natural to wonder if you can handle it yourself. Follow along with us as we outline several criteria you should consider when deciding whether to outsource your document scanning.
At River City Data, we’ve seen and managed nearly every type of scanning and conversion initiative. We scale our services from singular clients with small (but crucial!) conversions, to the most massive corporate scanning projects.
Contact us today to set up an honest, transparent quote for any size scanning job. Our clients have known, liked, and trusted us for forty years and counting. We deliver quality, secure, accessible results every time we scan for you.
Project Size Matters
Perhaps the primary determinant of whether to DIY your scanning project is the size of the task. If you have a few conventional sized paper files to digitize, scanning them yourself may work just fine.
Most office or home scanners can handle digitizing paper records in letter, legal, and even some specialty paper sizes. Further, your staff hours required to oversee the document management would be minimal in this scenario. If converting to digital documents takes one person a few hours to complete, DIY is a perfect fit.
However, if you have hundreds or thousands of paper records to scan, index, file, and store, consider outsourcing your project to a scanning company you trust. Why? Document scanning companies specialize in large-scale scanning projects.
Your scanning company partner will ensure a speedy and accurate finish time, without sacrificing quality or details paramount to your data integrity. Professional scanning teams are efficient and laser-focused on doing one thing well: preserving your data for ease of use, security, and other business related goals.
Special Equipment Is a Hassle
As in the above example, conventional records like letters and legal-sized documents may feed easily into your office or home scanner. However, for items that don’t conform to standard sizes or color schematics, it’s wise to select specialized equipment designed to handle scanning “curveballs.”
Maps, artwork, photographs, blueprints, and schematics do not always reproduce well on conventional scanners. Yes, you can purchase software that could allow you to scan your large docs in pieces, but we don’t recommend it.
If your company routinely scans large documents, you might consider purchasing a specialized scanner for digitizing non-conventional data and images. However, get ready for sticker shock.
Though scanning equipment comes in every variety for all the “unicorn” scanning projects under the sun, you’ll pay considerably more for the specificity. It’s smart to consider carefully how much you’ll use any scanning equipment you purchase.
Having a high-quality conventional scanner in businesses like law offices and medical clinics makes sense. Spending half your annual office supply budget on a photo-quality large doc scanner may not be the most practical choice.
Outsourcing your non-standard or large doc scanning projects saves you time, frustration, and expense in the long haul. It’s better to offload the investment of equipment purchase to a specialized scanning partner in these cases.
Document scanning companies have the proper equipment to handle large-scale and non-conventional projects.
Assess Your Indexing Needs
Digitizing and filing a few converted paper records is fast and straightforward. A few digitized records here and there can quickly pile up into a document management nightmare if not properly indexed.
After all, the purpose of scanning documents is to get them out of bulky manilla folders and cabinets. Instead, you want a cluster of files you can easily categorize, archive, and access whenever you need them.
When your digital document piles become too high, definitely enlist the help of an experienced document scanning company. Getting help indexing your digital files can prevent crucial data loss and customer privacy concerns.
Document Indexing is the process of categorizing your data by the criteria you choose that fits your business model. Common indexing structures include:
- Customer account numbers
- Order numbers
- Name
- Birthdate
- Region or address
- Client industry or sector
- Sales funnel position
Plus, you can customize your indexing fields to include relevant keywords or phrases that help you know where to look for the information you need. For example, a law office might index data based on case type, and a dental office may categorize files by services performed.
Having a variety of useful indexing fields can enable you to use your data for many different analytics that can help drive your success. Plus, with strategic help, you can craft or revamp your document management system in ways that flex with your evolving business and help you grow.
Competently scanning and converting your documents, when done correctly, expands your capacity for success and increases office efficiency over time.
Document Security Is Crucial
Once again, scanning a few documents with non-sensitive data is a total DIY green light. However, if you must keep your data secure, how will you ensure that happens if you DIY?
Enlisting help from a document scanning company can ensure your documents remain safe under virtual lock and key. By providing you access via a secure log-in channel, the professional scanning team can provide a secure harbor for sensitive client information.
Further, if you’re required by law to maintain client or patient privacy, it’s best to outsource your document scanning projects to a specialist. They’ll have relevant HIPAA certifications to guarantee safe handling and storage for all private information.
River City Data: The Clear Choice for a Trusted Document Scanning Company
Your data matters to us at River City Data. We understand you’ve built your business, client trust, and customer loyalty on the data you’ve collected in a variety of formats.
Scanning and converting your paper documents to relevant, accessible, and secure digital formats is what we’ve done for over forty years. Our history of excellence speaks for itself.
Many of our clients have hired us after failed DIY scanning attempts, or when a less experienced company could not deliver desired results.
Contact us today to set up a free project quote. We’ll clearly outline our strategy, procedures, and fees so you get the data integrity you need from all your digitized documents.
